This Is Not a Beauty Podcast

In this episode, Isabella Rossellini explores three stories around the world that reveal the role beauty plays in business.

Did you know flowers grown for perfume must be picked at a certain time of day when they are at their most fragrant? In our first story, we travel to Grasse in Southern France, where Antoine Leclef, a farmer and ambassador for the earth, shows us around the organic farm, Domaine de la Rose, which grows flowers for Lancôme’s products, including the iconic centifolia rose. We also hear from Karine Lebret, L'Oréal Groupe’s Global Vice-P...

For this episode, host Isabella Rossellini presents three stories exploring the role beauty plays in internet culture — from Get Ready With Me videos to how social media is shaping a centuries-old coming-of-age tradition in Latin America.

For our first story, we speak to Habiba Katsha, a tech reporter, with whom we discuss the Get Ready With Me (#GRWM) video trend, and how it’s gaining popularity amongst men.

For our next story, we travel to Mexico and hear from journalist Nuria Marquez Martinez who tells us all about the Latin American coming-of-age celebration, the quinceañera, a...

In what ways does beauty show up in our friendships? How do barbershops act as spaces for emotional support for men? And what does line dancing and kitsch have to do with self-love and community?

In this episode of This Is Not a Beauty Podcast, Isabella Rossellini presents three stories that show the ways in which beauty shows up in our relationships, around the world.

First, we travel to Hamburg, New York — yes, legend names it the home of the original hamburger — where one barbershop has become much more about trimming beards. “The tide has turned...

What is the connection between beauty, joy and wellbeing? To answer this question, we discover three stories that each unpack the connection between beauty and health from a different angle.

And host Isabella Rossellini has some thoughts: ”I grew up in Italy,” she says. “My mother was a Swedish actress, Ingrid Bergman, and my father was Roman, an Italian filmmaker called Roberto Rossellini… I'm embarrassed to say they didn't do much about health… father just ate pasta. In fact, he traveled with spaghetti in his bag to make sure he had the brand he liked the most.”

This le...

What does a wildlife biologist do to prepare for a day tagging jaguars in the Pantanal? What is the neuroscience behind our attraction to red lipstick? And what does ethologist and actress Isabella Rossellini find beautiful about turkeys? In the first episode of Season 2, we’re exploring the hidden role beauty plays in scientific research. 

First, we’ll hear from wildlife biologist and presenter Lizzie Daly about her job tagging jaguars in the wetlands of South America, the importance of scientific communication in environmental research as well as how she protects her skin in extreme environments from the A...

What does a barber shop have to do with mental health? How have coming-of-age rituals, like the quinceañera, evolved online? How does Deepak Chopra define happiness? And what does tennis superstar Naomi Osaka do to unwind? Hosted by the legendary actress Isabella Rossellini, the award-winning “This Is Not a Beauty Podcast” series from L’Oréal Groupe is back with a new season that continues the exploration of the essential role beauty plays in the human experience. Across six episodes, hear about the often hidden effect of beauty on science, health, relationships, technology, business and sports, through interviews with individu...

The Oscar-nominated actress is back with a special episode of “This Is Not a Beauty Podcast,” which explores the hidden role beauty plays in sports, technology, health and more. 

In this episode, Isabella Rossellini reflects on her late-career renaissance, “Conclave” and some of her favorite moments from Season 1. You’ll also hear never-before-shared excerpts from past interviews, such those with the Olympic sprinter Noah Lyles, the barber-to-soccer-stars Sheldon Edwards and the 108-year-old tattoo artist Apo Whang-od.

Beauty and health may seem in opposition – but in many ways, they are two sides of the same coin. In this episode we’ll hear from Dutch photographer and kickboxer Ilse Twigt on how her relationship with her body changed after fighting cancer. We’ll also hear from Dr. Nina Jablonski, an American anthropologist who has done extensive research into human skin and its evolution. And finally, we fly to Australia to hear from Arjay, a carer in an aged care facility, to hear about how he uses beauty to connect with residents with dementia.

Why does Olympic sprinter Noah Lyles constantly change up his look? How can a fresh haircut improve athletic performance? And what can a 93-year-old cheerleader teach us about growing older? For many, the worlds of sport and beauty seem miles apart. But in reality, they’re deeply connected. In this episode, we’ll travel to Clapham, South London to speak to Sheldon Edwards, the man responsible for the hairstyles of some of the world’s best-known sports stars. We’ll interview Fumie Takino, the 93-year-old founder of the senior cheerleading squad Japan Pom Pom. And finally, speak to the fastest...

Skin is the biggest, heaviest organ in the body – but what actually is it? And what potential does artificial skin technology have for revolutionizing not only the beauty industry, but medicine and beyond? 

In this episode, we'll speak to Paul Dalton, Associate Professor at the University of Oregon, who has invented a 3D printer for artificial skin, and Valerie Michault, Research and Development Director of Human and Environmental Predictive Technologies at L'Oréal Groupe. We’ll also hear from several scientists – neuroscientist Afnan Azizi, chemist Catherine Ngila and astrophysicist Becky Smethurst – about how they find beauty in their fiel...

Technology is quickly shaping the beauty industry — but how is beauty shaping technology?

In this episode, Nicola Mendelsohn, Head of Global Business Group at Meta, and Louise Yems, Strategy Director of creative agency The Digital Fairy, discuss how online beauty communities and companies are influencing and shaping today’s biggest tech platforms. Next, we travel to Salt Lake City, Utah to speak to Briel Adams Wheatley, an influencer and makeup artist who was born without limbs, about how she built her online career. And finally, we hear from decorated Paralympian Veronica Yoko and L'Oréal Groupe’s Head of...

How did lipstick become a key economic indicator? Why is Paris the beauty capital of the world? And what can we learn from South Korea’s booming male cosmetics market? 

In this episode, we’ll interview economist Daniel MacDonald and textured hair expert and entrepreneur Dr. Aude Livoreil-Djampou. We'll take to the streets of Paris, asking people what "French beauty" really means. And finally, we’ll fly to Seoul and speak to Shawn Issure, a content creator and K-beauty expert, who is joined by a translator and talks about the rise in male beauty consumption.

Beauty and politics are inseparable — from how politicians style their hair and makeup before addressing the nation to how tattoos became tools for resistance. 

In this comprehensive episode, we’ll explore politics from Elizabethan England to modern-day D.C., where we’ll interview Michelle Obama’s makeup artist, Carl Ray. We’ll then travel all the way to the Filipino village of Buscalan, to hear from a 107-year-old tattoo artist, Apo Whang-od, and tattoo anthropologist Lars Krutak.

A new podcast hosted by Isabella Rossellini explores the hidden role beauty plays in sports, technology, politics, business and more. From top soccer players’ favorite barber to a 107-year-old tattoo artist, each conversation reveals how beauty shapes the human experience.